Ultimate Chakra Control
by otaku-kage
Summary: Naruto fails the graduation test for the second time. In search of a way to master the required graduating Jutsu Naruto discovers a scroll that promises the one who masters its techniques will gain the ultimate chakra control.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto: The Ultimate Chakra

**(A/N: So here is an idea I have been thinking of lately and finally decided to post it. I don't want to keep anyone from reading because of a long author's note so I will say to please review if you read and enjoy!)**

I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto was currently walking up the side of the Hokage monument. He was heading to the top where he would then walk over to the head of the fourth Hokage. This had become his favorite place in the village because of the view it provided, but it also wasn't visited very often, giving him the perfect spot to think and meditate. Naruto was going to meditate at that moment. As he took one last glance at the village he grew so fond and vowed to protect. Naruto then sat down and closed his eyes, doing what he could to clear his mind. He stayed like that for a few minutes when a voice penetrated the quiet of the Hokage monument.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The familiar voice asked.

Naruto turned to see his teacher Jiraiya grinning at him. Naruto then turned to look back at the village and as he looked at his home he couldn't help but to remember back to what started his new path.

* * *

**The Acadamy**

"Naruto, you fail!" Iruka shouted at Naruto for the second time in an attempt to stop Naruto's argument.

"But Iruka-sensei…" Naruto started until he was cut off by Iruka.

"Naruto, I'm not doing this to be mean, I'm trying to make you understand that in the world of the ninja there are no second chances. One wrong move could cost you or someone you know their life. Try again next year Naruto." Iruka said, this time much softer tone to show his sympathy for one of his favorite students.

"Yes Iruka-sensei." Naruto said as he stared at the floor. Then, with a look of determination he clenched his fists together and said, "Next time I'll pass for sure and then I'll be one step closer to becoming the next Hokage, you'll see."

Iruka watched as Naruto turned and ran from the room. With a smirk he thought,_ "I have no doubt about that Naruto."_

* * *

Naruto ran out of the room and straight into Kotetsu. Naruto then cast a glance around to see Izumo beside him, both of them looking at Naruto in confusion.

"Naruto, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Kotetsu asked.

"I'm off to practice my Jutsu so I can pass the academy next year and show Iruka-sensei." He said with look of determination.

"Ugh, Naruto, maybe you should work on your chakra control first. Speaking of which, where is Iruka anyways?" Izumo added to the conversation.

"He's in there, thanks for the tip." Naruto called the last part out as he ran away, not noticing the third ninja following Izumo and Kotetsu.

Kotetsu then turned to Izumo and asked, "Shall we?"

Iruka was in the grading room for the graduation exams when the door opened to show Izumo and Kotetsu followed by another unknown ninja. "Hey, what brings you here?"

"Hokage-sama has asked that we escort the new academy teacher here." Izumo gestured to the ninja behind them then added, "This is Mizuki. He will be helping you teach next years graduating class."

Iruka stood and walked over to Mizuki, offering his hand forward as he said, "Hi, I'm Iruka, nice to meet you."

"Mizuki, I look forward to working with you." Mizuki said as he took Iruka's hand and shook it.

* * *

Naruto was about to enter his third store, in search of a scroll to help him on is Bunshin and Henge no Jutsu, when a big man in a store uniform stepped out holding a broom. He swung the broom at Naruto who quickly dodged it.

"Get out of here you brat!" The man yelled.

"But I have money and I need to find a scroll to help me become a ninja." Naruto cried out desperately.

"Hmph, a demon like you doesn't deserve to become a ninja. Now leave and don't let me catch you trying to come back." The man said as he turned to back into his shop.

"I'm not a demon!" Naruto yelled just before he ran away.

Once Naruto was a good distance from the shop he slowed to a walk. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the clouds while he walked.

"Now what am I supposed to do? I have to find a way to perform the Bunshin and Henge no Jutsu but their my worst Jutsu and I can't find anything to help me." Naruto said to himself when a sign to his left caught his attention.

Naruto walked to the sign, reading it aloud he said, "Warning: Building Unstable, No Trespassing."

Naruto looked behind the sign then to see a building half decimated by a fire. Half of the building was either in ashes or fallen down, whereas the other half was charred black by the fire that had unfortunately struck the building but luckily still stood. Naruto looked at the building for another few seconds when a sign closer to the building captured his interest. From his location he could vaguely make out the letters LIB RY.

"_Libry?" _Naruto thought, until it dawned on him. "Library?"

That moment Naruto remembered overhearing a conversation Iruka-sensei was having with another one of the academy teachers a few days ago. They were talking Library that had strangely caught fire and they didn't manage to get the fire out until half the building had burnt down. Naruto had apparently just stumbled across said Library. That was when a grin broke out across his face.

"I wonder if any of the scrolls survived?" Naruto asked himself.

At that moment Naruto pushed aside any fear of the dangers and glanced around to see if anyone was looking his looking his way. When he was sure the coast was clear he ran to the side of the Library where he luckily found the staff entrance intact and, in their haste to evacuate the building, left it unlocked. Naruto slipped inside the building only to find the current area in ruins. In hopes that the particular section of the Library he was looking for was intact, Naruto worked his way through his way through the debris, leaving a clear trail for when he decided to leave. Naruto then looked for the section of the Library that housed all the scrolls on Ninjutsu. He found it easily enough, but was disappointed to find most of the scrolls were either in ashes or burnt to the point they were unreadable.

Naruto kept looking though and soon enough started to find some scrolls that managed to survive. He started stacking any scrolls he found intact on a table that had luckily survived the fire as well. After searching for thirty long minutes Naruto had found six scrolls that had survived. He licked his lips at the sight of his bounty as though he were a hungry predator about to pounce on its prey.

"I guess it'll do, better head home before someone catches me." Naruto said as he grabbed his six scrolls.

Turning to leave now, Naruto happened to catch sight of something flashing in the sunlight that managed to filter in through the many holes left behind by the fire. Naruto sat his scrolls back down on the table to go retrieve it. He found it half buried in other scrolls resulting in this particular scroll to be left perfectly intact from the fire. The other scrolls Naruto had found had been intact as well but they had suffered a few burn marks here and there but for the most part were readable. This scroll however looked as though the fire hadn't even touched it. The scroll had a gold seal on it that kept it closed. The seal had a very ornate picture of a dragon that was curled up in a striking position like a snake with sapphire markings traveling down the length of the dragon and out around the outside of the rest of the predominantly red scroll. This scroll piqued his curiosity more then any of the scrolls he had found so far so Naruto carefully undid the dragon seal and opened it enough to read the title. _Ultimate Chakra Control._

Naruto remembered what Izumo had said earlier.

"_Ugh, Naruto, maybe you should work on your chakra control first…" _

"_Score!" _Naruto thought to himself. Naruto started grinning at his find. Not only did he find scrolls on Ninjutsu, he now had a scroll to help him master the Bunshin and Henge no Jutsu. Naruto would graduate for sure this time.

_**CRACK!**_

Naruto turned around at the noise and looked up to see a support beam for the roof crack in half.

"Uh oh, that can't be good." Naruto said as he stared at the beam.

Suddenly the cracked beam gave way and crashed down to the ground only meters away from the exit followed by parts of the roof with it. At that moment Naruto realized he had very few precious seconds to get out before the building collapsed around him.

"Time to go!" Naruto said quickly.

Naruto then shut the scroll, latching the golden dragon seal back in place before running to the table with his six other scrolls. Suddenly another beam broke, sending debris down to the ground in a shower of charred wood and metal. The debris landed only meters from the table and instantly Naruto knew his time was up. He reached the table in two more long strides and in one swift motion, scooped up all six of the scrolls in his arms. Naruto turned to leave and in his haste took a few good steps before losing hold on three scrolls from his precious bounty. Naruto faltered at that moment, stopping to look back at the scrolls and debating on if he had the time to go back for them, but when he finally took a step toward them more of the building came crashing down right on top of them. Naruto was instantly glad for his hesitation. With his scrolls crushed under the debris and no time to dig them out he dashed for the exit, maneuvering through the maze of debris he cleared out the way on his way in before finally reaching the staff entrance.

With a sigh of relief, Naruto burst through the door at great speed and stopped to look to the building. He wasn't to safety yet as the building could still inevitably crush him as it came down so he dashed back to the sign that warned him of danger. Once there he cast a glance back at the building and, not wanting to get blamed for the destruction, launched onto the rooftops with all four scrolls in his arms and made straight for his apartment.

Meanwhile back at the Library…

"See, told you it was safe. One well placed rope on the weakened main support beam and a few good tugs and ta-dah, the place goes tumbling down. Now pay up." The man said to his coworker as he stretched out his open palm to him.

"Yea yea, just call in the clean up crew already, our job here is done." The man said slapping some money into the waiting mans outstretched hand.

* * *

Naruto walked into his apartment, dumping the four scrolls he managed to salvage onto his bed before doubling back to lock his door. Then Naruto checked his apartment for any undue traps or visitors. Satisfied, he looked out his windows to make sure he wasn't followed. Finally sure that everything was clear he plopped down onto his bed and reached for the dragon scroll then, thinking better of it, decided to save it for last and reached for a different scroll. Naruto grabbed another scroll that was red like the dragon scroll but this one was all the same color red meaning it was just an ordinary scroll. Naruto opened it to the title. _The Basics of Chakra._

"Aw man, I learned all that in the academy already." Naruto said as he frowned.

Then Naruto closed the scroll, set it aside as a useless scroll, and reached for another. Picking this one up he noticed this one was a solid green color. Hoping beyond hope that it was something useful he opened it to the title. _The Complexities of Chakra._

Naruto frowned again and moved to close the scroll. Sitting it to the side with his other useless scroll he picked up the other one. This one he opened to the title and frowned again when it said, _Chakra in the use of Jutsu._

"Great, I just risked my neck, almost getting crushed under a half burned building, for a bunch of useless scrolls. At least I got this one." Naruto said as he picked up the dragon scroll and fell back onto his pillow as he stared at its weird features. Now that Naruto looked closer he realized that the scroll had actual sapphires intermixed with the strange sapphire lines, and that the scroll wasn't a scroll at all. It was more of a case that, when opened, the scroll was pulled from the protective case to be read. It didn't make sense to Naruto as that would leave very little room for the scroll, meaning the scroll must be very small in size. Why would someone take the time to make such an ornate protective case for such a small scroll?

Naruto then opened the case and pulled the scroll out to its full length, glancing over it until his eyes reached the bottom. At the very bottom of the scroll was the Kanji symbol for seal and under it were instructions.

"_Now that you have mastered those techniques this seal will test your chakra control and if its to the level of this seal it will release more techniques to master. Be warned, if you try to skip ahead and break the seal without mastering every technique the seal will lock the rest of the scroll until all current techniques are mastered."_

Naruto thought this over, marveling at how complex a seal was put on this scroll. No wonder the scroll was so small. It was made to stop at a certain point until you mastered the techniques, then once you reached the scrolls desired level of control, you could advance to the next techniques. Naruto's mouth watered at the thought of the more powerful techniques farther down the scroll. Determined to master the whole scroll Naruto moved back to the top to start at the beginning of the scroll. Before it started going into the techniques it looked as though someone left a message for the next owner of the scroll.

"_Greetings whoever has come into possession of this rare treasure. My name is Shinji Shimura, the soul surviving member of the Shimura clan. This scroll is a written account of every technique, explanation, and result of the Shimura clan's secrets to total chakra control. Our clan was annihilated by many forces who were after our secrets and even now I am being hunted down. I have decided to record everything I know in hopes that one day this scroll will meet the right hands of one who would learn its ways and keep it safe from those who would use it to do harm. Good luck young Shinobi._

_Oh and one more thing. Before you begin to try and master these techniques it would be best if you learned everything there is to know on chakra. Once you understand the tool you will be using, only then can you learn to use the tool properly. Wow, that just sounded really profound didn't it?"_

At the last part Naruto sweat dropped. Then, turning to look at the scrolls he discarded, set to work learning everything there was to know about chakra.

* * *

**So how was it? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Any suggestions or criticism? Review please? I like to know what you people think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**(A/N: Yes I know, yet another note from me which you probably will just skip and start reading anyways. Here is a response to the few reviews I received for chapter one. I will not be giving out any spoilers, if you have questions you will have to wait and read the next chapter, all questions will be answered eventually. Also, if you actually take the time to read, please review! I really want your input on this. Good, bad, suggestions, criticism, I'm open to anything, I just want input on how you think the story is going. Anyways, enough of my ranting. Anyways I want to apologize for taking so long to update. Everytime I tried to update it gave me an error message, otherwise I would have updated two weeks ago. Good news is I found a loophole on how to update so, Enjoy!)**

I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto had spent the better part of the last two weeks memorizing every word of the other three scrolls he happened to get without so much as touching his other more prized scroll. He had been tempted several times to open it and try to learn it but his better, more rational side, told him not to. He was determined to master the scroll and if this was the first step to doing that he was going to learn it. Consequently Naruto's grades in the academy had gone up marginally. He was still lacking as far as the history of Konoha, Taijutsu, and many of the other subjects of the academy was concerned, but his excessive study of chakra was helping him as far as Ninjutsu and anything chakra related was concerned. The difference may not have been drastic, but it was enough for the instructors and the other students to take notice.

Since Naruto had gone back to the academy the week after he failed the graduation test, starting off a new year, his grades were at least average. One day Naruto stunned Iruka when he thought Naruto had been sleeping and called on him to answer a question to show he hadn't been listening. Contrary to what Iruka thought, Naruto had been reading the scroll on using chakra in jutsu while half paying attention to the lecture.

"Naruto?" Iruka called, smirking when he saw Naruto's head snap up.

"Yes Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Since you were paying attention so diligently, define chakra for the class." Iruka said, hoping Naruto's embarrassment would put him back on task. After all, the new year just started so it was to soon to be losing interest already.

Naruto stood then and with a sigh said, "Chakra is essential for even the most basic type of Jutsu. It is a mixture of the body's physical energy and spiritual energy gained from practice and experience. Once mixed it can be channeled through the body's 361 chakra points also known as tenketsu. The most common way of channeling chakra for a Jutsu is through the use of hand signs that help to manipulate the chakra to do something otherwise impossible such as walking on water, breathing fire, or casting a Genjutsu."

"N-Naruto?" Iruka stuttered at Naruto's very in depth and very correct description of chakra.

"So the dobe has been studying." Sasuke added which set the class into fits of laughter.

Iruka, not wanting the class to grow out of hand, fixed his attention on the class and said, "Alright everyone quiet. Naruto that was very good, however I noticed you weren't paying attention. Please try not to let your mind wander in my class."

"I was paying attention Iruka-sensei, how do you think I answered correctly?" Naruto said trying throw off his teacher even though he knew he had only been halfway listening.

"Yes you did. However, if you were actually paying attention, then you would know that I wasn't lecturing about chakra but rather about Taijutsu and how it doesn't need the use of chakra." Iruka stated, getting a glare from Naruto in return.

* * *

After the academy let out for the day Naruto headed straight to his apartment. It had been a week since the incident in class and Naruto now had all of three of the scrolls on chakra completely memorized. Naruto decided he would keep the scrolls for **REVIEW**ing later in case he felt his knowledge of chakra and how it worked started to slip. Today though he rushed home in an air of excitement. Today he would finally start working on mastering his new scroll. He couldn't wait to see what awesome, super-cool techniques he was going to learn and gain an advantage of that teme Sasuke Uchiha.

When he got home he dropped his stuff onto his floor, locked his door, and scouted his apartment for traps or unexpected visitors as this had been his habit for years when he found one night that someone had set a trap in his home meant to kill him, only to find the person had waited there to finish the job in case the trap failed to do so. Once he was satisfied it was clear he went over to his dresser, pulled it from the wall slightly, and reached behind it to pull out his prized scroll which he cleverly hid for safe keeping. Naruto ran and bounded onto his bed, somersaulting in the air before landing, and set the scroll in front of him. He unsealed the dragon that kept the protective case shut and pulled the scroll out, skimming past the title and the introduction from the scrolls previous owner, all the way down to the first exercise.

"_The Leaf Concentration Exercise,"_ Naruto read aloud then groaned. "I already learned this in the Academy!"

Naruto sighed then went to read the description to see if there was any difference in the academy teaching method. There were a few differences but there wasn't anything major. Sighing to himself, Naruto went to work on trying to master the scroll, starting with the leaf exercise.

* * *

**Graduation Day**

All the students were lined up outside room 403, the room that most dreaded. This was the room where they would be tested to see if they graduated…or failed. Everyone but only a handful looked nervous, namely everyone except those who would become known as the rookie nine. However, there were still two exceptions, Naruto and Hinata. Hinata stood just behind Sasuke, who was standing at the front of the line, as she tapped her fingers together in a nervous fashion. Whereas Naruto stood almost at the very back of the class. There were two other student behind him who only added to his nervousness by throwing insulting jeers at him to ease there own tension.

"A dead last like you can't possibly pass." One sneered.

"Yea you'd only be a disgrace of a ninja anyway." The other contributed.

" _I'm not a dead last." _Naruto thought to himself as he stood there, quietly taking their insults in stride.

Over the year Naruto continued to work on his chakra control and perfecting the academy Jutsu. While he had learned all there was to know about chakra, he hadn't really took the time to study more on the other academy subjects, preferring to spend his time training. Because of this his shuriken accuracy, Jutsu mastery, and Taijutsu skills soared, shocking most of the teachers. The students however had already decided that he was the dead last and either talked or paid Naruto no attention when it was his turn to demonstrate something before the class. They all believed he'd just screw it up anyways and his grades reflected as such. In the end Naruto's physical skills just didn't make up for his poor classroom habits, thereby, once again gaining him the title of dead last.

"Move it dead last." One of the boys said, snapping him out of his brooding thoughts. When he looked ahead he noticed half the class had already tested and left, leaving a huge gap between him and the class.

Frowning in annoyance, the two boys stepped around him and moved to take places at the end of the line again. Naruto didn't notice nor care, all he thought about was passing the test. As he shuffled along to the end of the line his thoughts drifted back to wondering if he was ready.

"_No, I'm ready, I'll pass this time for sure." _Naruto thought as his fists clenched and his face set in a look of pure determination.

All thought of being nervous fled from his mind and you could see it in his body language as well. This time when he was snapped from his musings there was only one of the two boys that had insulted him left in line in front of him. He also noticed that said boy was walking into the room meaning that he was going to be tested next. When the other boy entered the room Naruto was left out in the hall by himself like he had been for the better part of his life. Naruto waited for a few minutes until the boy returned from the room with a hard look on his face. The boys expression was lost on Naruto as he only focused on what was to come as he entered the room where he would be tested.

Naruto walked in to see Iruka and Mizuki sitting side by side at a table together towards the center of the room. Naruto looked around then walked to the center to stand before both of his teachers, awaiting his fate. Naruto noticed for the first time that Iruka and Mizuki seemed to be smiling at him. Although that wasn't really an accurate statement. Iruka was smiling, but Mizuki seemed to be doing more of a smirk. Naruto smiled back and it was then he heard Iruka's voice ring out seeming loud enough to wake the dead.

"Hello Naruto, ready to begin?" Iruka asked still smiling.

Naruto nodded and Mizuki took over saying, "Naruto as you well know that this exam is comprised of five separate tests. To pass you must pass by majority meaning you must pass at least three out of the five tests. There are no do overs or second chances. If you fail three tests you will not be given the opportunity to try the other tests since you automatically fail. For your first test we will be testing your shuriken accuracy." Mizuki gestured to a bunch of targets on the far wall and continued, "For this test you do not have to hit the bulls eye but you must hit every target. If you miss even one target you fail. You may begin when your ready."

Naruto turned to the far wall and did a quick count. All nervousness that left Naruto in the hall was back again and in full force when he realized there were six targets and he had to hit all of them. Naruto then reached into his shuriken pouch and produced six shuriken. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he calmed himself. Once he felt he had calmed down enough he opened his eyes and let loose all six of the shuriken. Two had hit the bulls eye, two had hit slightly to the left of it, one had gone above his mark, and one hit excessively far to the right. Naruto's heart skipped a beat when he noticed his handiwork.

"I'm sorry Naruto but you fa…" Mizuki started.

"No, wait. Look closer Mizuki it hit." Iruka chimed in quickly, interrupting him mid-sentence.

Mizuki cursed under his breath then tried to cover it by saying, "Are you sure Iruka? I think you might just think so because you want Naruto to pass. I know he's your favorite student after all."

Iruka shook his head then stood and walked to the target. Sure enough the shuriken was inside the target, but just barely. Iruka turned to Naruto and smiled, then turning to Mizuki he said, "No it hit, congratulations Naruto, you pass."

Iruka walked back and sat beside Mizuki. Once he sat down he took over by saying, "Ok Naruto your next test is in Genjutsu. I will cast a low level Genjutsu on you designed to scare you enough to make you want to break it. If you do you pass, if you can't you fail. Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded again and Iruka moved to cast a Genjutsu. Just before he did he added under his breath, "Sorry about this Naruto."

Naruto felt his world shimmer, then give way to a perfect picture of the village. Seeing how peaceful it was he started to wonder if he was really under a Genjutsu or if he had just been daydreaming again. Noticing where he was he turned to see Ichiraku's to his left. Under normal circumstances he would have smiled and ran up to order a bowl of ramen. However, this time when he saw it he gasped as it suddenly lit up in flame. He watched in horror as old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame ran out covered in flames and screaming in agony as the fire ate away at there skin. He tried to compose himself and try to undo the Genjutsu. He moved to make the hand seal and concentrate his chakra then...nothing. He realized that he did everything correctly and it didn't work. His mind only came to one conclusion, it wasn't a Genjutsu. He watched in horror at the scene before him as a bloodcurdling scream wrenched itself from his throat. At that instant his world slipped away.

When Naruto's mind cleared he looked around to see Iruka shake his head before saying, "I'm sorry Naruto but you fail." Naruto looked down at his feet in disappointment and Iruka continued, trying to cheer Naruto up by saying, "But you still have three more tests. Just give them your all Naruto."

Naruto looked hopeful then and waited patiently for Mizuki to continue, "Alright Naruto, next is Henge no Jutsu. For this you must perform a perfect Henge of anyone you wish. Any flaws and you fail. Ready?"

"Alright I'll pass this one for sure." Naruto said in a determined voice before going through the hand seals.

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared around Naruto and Iruka and Mizuki waited patiently for the smoke to clear. When it did they say a perfect replica of Iruka. Unable to contain himself Iruka stood and clapped as he said, "That was perfect Naruto, Pass!"

Once again Iruka sat and looked at Naruto when he said, "Ok next is Kawarimi no Jutsu. For this you must wear this protective vest." Iruka picked up a vest that had been sitting on the edge of the desk him and Mizuki currently sat at and threw it to Naruto who shrugged it on quickly before he continued. "I am going to throw a Kunai at you, what you have to do is perform a Kawarimi to escape the kunai and instead make it land in something else. If you fail to do so the vest will protect you but you will fail the test. Ready Naruto?"

Naruto nodded again and grinned. Iruka smiled at Naruto then stood and almost instantly threw a kunai, catching Naruto off guard. He quickly moved to do the hand seals but as his world slowed down and he saw the kunai approaching him he panicked and couldn't focus his chakra. He tried to focus but as he finally managed to do so he felt the kunai land in the right shoulder of his vest. Naruto looked down to see the kunai firmly lodged in the shoulder of the vest and his shoulders slumped, awaiting the inevitable words.

"Sorry Naruto, you fail." Iruka said sadly disappointed. He couldn't help but ask "Naruto what happened? You always passed this test this last year."

"Well, you see, you caught me off guard. I thought you were going to throw it when you fully stood, not as you stood up so I was unprepared and I sort of panicked." Naruto explained.

"I see. The reason I did that was to catch you off guard. The purpose of the test is to test your reflexes because you never know when an enemy might catch you off guard. Anyways enough of me lecturing. Its time for your final test. Mizuki…" Iruka trailed off as he turned to Mizuki.

For his part Mizuki couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. He hid the gesture under his hands but he couldn't help but contain himself. The last test was the Bunshin no Jutsu, Naruto's worst Jutsu. Naruto would fail for sure and his everything was going perfectly according to plan. He realized then that Iruka was waiting on him and quickly covered by saying, "Um, yes, your last test Naruto is Bunshin No Jutsu. To pass you must make three perfect Bunshin. If you can't make three or one of them has any flaws you fail."

Naruto's heart almost doubled in pace now. This was it. This test would determined if he passed of failed and it all came down to this, his worst Jutsu. Naruto tried to calm himself down but ended up making himself more nervous as he did the hand seals. Naruto to his credit didn't realize just how much chakra he was putting into the Jutsu and suddenly a large cloud appeared out of nowhere. Iruka and Mizuki coughed and waved their hands wanting to see what happened. When it finally cleared they were amazed to see Naruto EVERYWHERE. Not only did Naruto pass but he more then tripled the required amount of Bunshin's necessary to pass.

Iruka instantly stood and clapped his hands shouting, "Bravo Naruto. You Pass, I mean, You Graduate, and as a special reward for all your hard work I want you to have my forehead protector."

Naruto beamed at his teacher then lunged forward to embrace him as he said, "Thank you Iruka-sensei."

While all this went on with Iruka and Naruto Mizuki sat at the desk cursing to himself. Finally composing himself he thought, _"No matter, I'll just have to use plan B."_

* * *

**What is Plan B? Why did Naruto pass the Bunshin but not the Genjutsu? Well I guess you will have to keep reading to find out. Oh and did anyone catch my oh so subtle hint to review that I dropped in the chapter? Hah, well anyways I personally liked this chapter because no one ever goes into the details of the graduation exam and I decided hey why not let Naruto pass and go into how he did it. Anyways, next chapter look forward to seeing what exactly Plan B is and the Genin exam with Kakashi. I hope you liked it!**

**~Otaku-Kage~**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**(A/N: Back again with another installment to my latest fanfic and I hope this answers as many questions as it brings. Yes I want some questions answered and more to be drawn up by this. I just hope you like it.)**

I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto walked out of the testing room grinning and fingering his sensei's former forehead protector. As he walked out he was followed by Iruka who was also grinning at his favorite student. As they made their way outside the academy they passed by the two students who had thrown jeers at him in line. Both now had their jaws drooping in a comical fashion as they saw Naruto wearing his headband proudly.

"How did a dead last like you pass the exam?" One asked him.

"He only passed because Iruka-sensei favors him." The other said to the first.

"Now now, Naruto tried just as hard as the both of you, he earned his pass like everyone else did. There was no unfair treatment in the test. Although since the both of you didn't pass I would like to gladly offer for you to return next semester and try again like Naruto." Iruka said still smiling.

"No way, if a dead last passed and I didn't then I don't want to live in the shinobi world knowing he beat us. That's just embarrassing." The first responded.

"I'm with him, its just not right. He'll get whats coming to him eventually and you will to for passing him when you know he shouldn't have." The second chimed in ignoring Iruka's statement before both walked off, complaining about how unfair the test was and how they both should have passed.

"Don't listen to them Naruto, their just angry because you worked hard and achieved your goal when they should have took after you and done the same. What do you say we get Ramen to celebrate?" Iruka said.

The brooding youth perked up at the mention of ramen and instantly started grinning again before saying, "Alright! Ichiraku's here I come!"

* * *

Naruto and Iruka sat at Ichiraku Ramen, celebrating Naruto's finally graduating the academy. Naruto was currently finishing his second bowl as Iruka sat and watched, amazed at how someone so small could eat so much, even though it was his second bowl. He himself had been picking at his noodles as Naruto polished off the remains of his and he knew that a third was coming soon after.

"Hey, old man, another bowl please." Naruto said as he sat down his last bowl and grinned wildly.

Iruka shook his head and laughed as he watched Naruto untie and retie his forehead protector for what must have been at least his eleventh time since leaving the academy. Something had been nagging at Iruka since they left the academy and he knew he would just have to ask. He was waiting on Naruto to bring up the test though so it wouldn't seem that he was doubting his abilities. Unfortunately the blond haired youth seemed to be enjoying his ramen and reveling in his pass to really take notice of anything else and was content to keep to himself. That meant that Iruka was going to have to bring it up.

"Naruto, I have a question for you." Iruka said finally gaining his former student's attention finally.

"What is it Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked inquiringly.

"Well I was wondering. I know Bunshin is your worst Jutsu but you passed it with flying colors. If you could pass that then how come you couldn't pass the Kawarimi?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know, I've done it hundreds of times successfully but once it came down to it I just couldn't seem to focus." Naruto explained.

"I see, and what of the Genjutsu test. That was the lowest level Genjutsu I could use. Surely if you could pass Bunshin you could have passed the Genjutsu as well." Iruka worded it as a question but it ended up coming out more of a statement then anything.

Naruto understood it was a question though and quickly replied, "I don't know, like I said with the Kawarimi, I just couldn't focus. I don't really know what it was. I had found a scroll telling me how to get better at my chakra control before the start of the last year and I had been practicing it religiously and learning what I could about chakra so I could pass this time. I started out doing just the regular leaf exercise because it said it not only helped with control but it helped build focus and that focus was essential in gaining better chakra control. Eventually though it said to move onto a more intense variation called the Sand Exercise. It was the same as the leaf only I was supposed to get a handful of sand and keep it to my forehead as long as the leaf without dropping a single sand particle. It helped me get better but I can't do it as long as the leaf exercise. I'm still working on it."

"I see, I never thought of that. I'm going to have to use that next year to help students with poor chakra control like you." Iruka nodded to Naruto's explanation.

"No please don't Iruka-sensei. I don't want my training methods to get out to others." Naruto pleaded.

"Why not? If you said you found it in a scroll then it should be a common exercise, although not well know I guess seeing as I didn't think of it." Iruka put back.

"Well, you see its kind of not a normal scroll. I think its kind of rare, but I'm not sure, but please don't Iruka-sensei I'm begging you." Naruto pleaded again.

"What kind of scroll are we talking here exactly Naruto?" Iruka asked intrigued.

Naruto realized his mistake by telling so much to Iruka but knew there was no turning back now. With a shrug of defeat he told Iruka about the scroll and how he found it. After listening intently to Naruto's story Iruka sighed and looked at Naruto sternly.

"You went into a condemned building in hopes of finding scrolls? Naruto do you know how dangerous that was?" Iruka asked.

"Well I thought it was safe at first." Naruto tried weakly.

"Yea and look how that turned out. Naruto you were almost crushed to death. Promise me you won't do anything so foolish next time."

"I promise Iruka-sensei." Naruto said defeated.

"Now let me see this scroll your telling me about." Iruka said, adopting his teachers voice for authority.

Naruto looked around quickly, then deciding it was relatively safe, pulled out the scroll to show Iruka. Iruka looked at it questioningly then took it and opened it. He read the opening introduction to the scroll and skimmed across it until he reached the explanation of the seal. After reading it he closed it and moved to put it in his Kunai pouch.

"Naruto a scroll this powerful shouldn't fall into the hands of an enemy or anyone who would use it unwisely. I must take this to the Hokage and show him." He explained.

"You can't. I found it, its mine!" Naruto shouted, then realizing what he did, adopted a more level tone.

"You stole it from a library Naruto and this scroll could be dangerous."

"But the building was condemned and everything in it. I took it so it wouldn't be destroyed. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Iruka sighed and took the scroll back out and grudgingly handed it to Naruto as he said, "Alright, as long as you promise me not to take it out of the village for now. Seeing as you make a valid point I can't really take it seeing as that could be counted as stealing. Mention it to no one Naruto. I will inform the Hokage about this and then we will decide what we will do about it. If the Hokage deems it too dangerous and asks for it Naruto will you promise to give it up willingly?"

"I-I…" Naruto trailed off and looked down in despair before he said, "Ok, I promise."

Naruto promptly hid the scroll back in his pouch and perked up when old man Teuchi brought Naruto his third bowl of ramen.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Mizuki had seen the interaction between Naruto, Iruka, and the two other boys who had failed the test. He smirked to himself as he thought, _"Now I have a way to set plan B into action. All I have to do now is plant the right seed."_

Mizuki chuckled to himself and launched himself down to the ground, landing just in front of the two boys as they left the academy. They both jumped in surprise, then calmed down when they realized it was their former sensei. They both shrugged and moved to walk around him but Mizuki quickly blocked their path.

"What is it? We don't want to be ninja anymore." One said.

"No? Well would you be interested in helping Naruto get what's coming to him then?" Mizuki said coldly.

Both boys looked to each other then back to Mizuki and nodded.

"Good. Tonight I want both of you to meet me in the woods outside the village at the place marked on this map. I'm going to give both of you a scroll that I want you to take to Naruto. I want you to trick him into opening the scroll and trying to learn from it. If you can do that I can guarantee that Naruto and Iruka will get what they deserve and you might even make a little money doing it. I don't care how you do it, just do it. Understand?"

Both nodded again and Mizuki smirked as he thought, _"This is going to be too easy."_

If Mizuki had just taken the scroll and left he might have gotten away with it, but wanting to kill off the demon brat was too tempting to pass up. Later on he would find out it would be his undoing.

* * *

Naruto had left Ichiraku's when Iruka left to inform the Hokage about his scroll. Not wanting to miss his opportunity to train he headed to the clearing outside the village. As he was heading there he passed the two boys who had insulted him earlier that day in another training ground along the way. They both slumped to the ground in exhaustion. They said something that happened to catch Naruto's attention though.

"Man I can't learn anything from this. I'll never be able to pass the make up test and become a ninja." One of them said.

"Make up test?" Naruto asked as he walked up to them curiously.

"Yea Mizuki-sensei said that if anyone could learn something from this scroll that they could become a Genin and get to choose their teammates." The other chimed in.

"Really? What if you already passed? If you learn from it can you at least get to choose your teammates?" Naruto asked excited by the chance of being on a team with Sakura.

"Yea that's what he said. I can't do it so here you have it. Least I can do to apologize for what I said earlier." The first said.

"Me too, sorry about that." The other agreed.

"It's ok, so you both don't want it?" Naruto asked.

Both boys nodded and Naruto grinned and said, "Well thanks, catch you later, I better get to work if I'm going to learn anything." Naruto promptly picked up the scroll and left to his secret training area.

Both boys smirked at each other as he left.

* * *

"Naruto there you are!" Iruka said as he tried to catch his breath after searching the village like Naruto.

When they heard Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu they all quickly assumed he was guilty. Iruka on the other hand was the only to stand up for him saying, "That doesn't sound like something Naruto would do. Why would he when he passed the academy this very morning.

"Wow Iruka-sensei, I didn't expect you to find me so fast. I only had time to learn one Jutsu." Naruto said, confirming the stories of his guilt.

"Naruto what do you think your doing?" Iruka asked.

"I was learning a technique from the scroll so I could choose my teammates as a Genin. That's what Mizuki-sensei told Tayuya and Kazu. They told me about it when I saw them earlier."

"Mizuki? Tayuya and Kazu?" Iruka said confused.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged in." Mizuki said from a tree branch above both Naruto and Iruka.

"Mizuki? Your behind this?" Iruka asked.

* * *

**Time skip to after the battle with Mizuki**

"_He's mastered an extremely difficult Jutsu."_ Iruka thought as he looked at Naruto with pride.

Naruto helped him stumble to the hospital to have his wounds looked at. After debriefing the Hokage of Mizuki's treachery, a team of ANBU was sent to retrieve him from the woods. After giving a proper report to the Hokage later with Naruto Iruka still had two last questions to ask.

"What happened to Tayuya and Kazu if you don't mind me asking Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, yes those two. Since they were fundamental in Mizuki's treachery but were overall tricked they can't be imprisoned. Instead they will be punished. Right now I have ANBU being dispatched to the respective parents homes with orders that tomorrow they will report to the building team and help in any way possible on rebuilding the new library." He said before replacing his pipe in his mouth.

"Speaking of the library Hokage-sama, we still haven't settled the matter of the scroll Naruto found." He stated calmly.

The Hokage thought for a minute, taking a puff of his pipe as he contemplated how he was going to phrase his next statement. Eventually he decided to make it simple.

"Oh, I think its in safe hands don't you Iruka?" He stated calmly.

Naruto looked from Iruka to the Hokage who were both grinning at him. At first the Hokage's meaning didn't dawn on him. Eventually recognition struck and Naruto grinned then pumped the air with his fist as he yelled with joy. Naruto got to keep his scroll.

* * *

**Ok, I know it's a little shorter then usual but this was kind of just a filler chapter. Now I can really get to the story. Oh and I'm still having issues of people reading and adding it to their story alerts or favorites and not reviewing. If you read it please review, I don't do it for the praise, I do it for input on how to better my writing. Anyways enough of the long author's note. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok guys, I recently came back from a hiatus when I posted the latest chapter of Naruto: Sage of Six Paths. If you haven't read it yet, THEN READ IT! But no seriously if you like this and haven't read it you should check it out. Now though I believe its time that I gave all you Naruto junkies a treat and posted my latest chapter of this. I hope it turns out great and you love it, I'm excited to do this chapter. For some reason I have just always loved the bell test and thinking of ways Naruto can actually pass that's somewhat believable. Bah, enough of my ranting enjoy the chapter.**

I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto was currently walking to the Academy for the last time as a student. He passed the Genin Exam but today was the real official day. Today they were assigned their Jonin Sensei's. Naruto walked into the classroom he was so familiar with grinning like a madman. He was the last to show up and he certainly surprised many of his fellow classmates who obviously thought everyone who passed was already there seeing as they left as soon as the exam was over and not staying to truly see who passed. Needless to say a few jaws dropped, a few shrugged as if not caring, one particular boy didn't even wake up from sleeping when he entered, and lastly some didn't even turn their head, as if looking to see who the last one there was beneath them; namely one Uchiha Sasuke.

"Naruto what are you doing here? I thought you failed just like the last two times." Ino Yamanaka stated loudly.

"He probably bribed his way to passing with his 'Pervert no Jutsu'." One student stated blatantly, causing most of the class to roar in laughter.

If it weren't for the fact that Naruto was so excited today he would have let all of them have it right then and there but today he didn't care. He shrugged indifferently at the boys jest and calmly walked to his seat beside Sasuke quietly. He sat as far from Sasuke as he could causing most of the girls in the room to glare at his brash hatred of the most glorious specimen of man they had ever seen, even as some still had a blush on their cheeks from how cool he acted when he was clearly just baited into a fight and shrugged it off like it was nothing. Many of the girls would kill just to be in Naruto's position, but to their dismay, the alphabetical seating arrangement deemed that as impossible, although some were now wanting to just sit by Naruto as well.

Just then Iruka walked into the room saying, "Settle down class."

Once the hushed whispers and murmurs that were going around the room stopped Iruka continued by saying, "Good, now as you all know today you will be assigned your Jonin Sensei's. I wish you all luck and try your hardest to be the best shinobi you can be. Ok, Team 1 consists of Shinji Kuro…"

Naruto instantly tuned Iruka out as he slowly started to nod off to the incessant droning of Iruka's lecturing voice. It wasn't until he heard his name that he perked up and listened carefully. "… maki Naruto, Haruno Sakura…" Naruto instantly pumped his fist in the air as he jumped out of his seat screaming in joy. "…and Uchiha Sasuke. You will be Team 7 and your Jonin Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Iruka went on as Naruto slumped and this time Sakura pumped her fist at the mention of the Uchiha Prodigy.

"Ok, that does it for the teams. Please stay where you are and wait patiently for your Jonin Sensei's to come to retrieve you." Iruka stated just before he took his notebook of Team assignments and left.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang of Konoha, otherwise known as Copy Nin Kakashi, crouched on the rooftops just outside the classroom where he was to pick up his three Genin students. He had been ordered to pass them no matter what and train them into real shinobi by the Hokage who was trying to placate the Ninja council, but he would have fun with them at least in the meantime and hopefully he may decide their worth passing without him having to do it unwillingly. Not likely, but one could only hope.

- Flashback -

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" Kakashi said bowing his head in respect to the Sandaime Hokage.

"Hm? Oh yes, I'm here to tell you about your assigned team of Genin." Hiruzen Sarutobi stated calmly as he turned from looking out his tower window to Kakashi.

"Forgive my rudeness Hokage-sama, but is it necessary for me to teach Genin? You know I haven't in all my years yet found any I believed were worthy of teaching. Honestly I find testing the new Genin as just a formality before I tell them no."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Kakashi, but I do believe you will change your mind once I tell you who you will be teaching."

Kakashi quirked his only visible eyebrow at that statement but otherwise didn't respond as he waited for the Hokage to continue what he was saying. "You remember the Uchiha Massacre?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. Apparantly all were slaughtered by Itachi Uchiha in one night. All but his younger brother I believe." Kakashi responded quickly.

"Well, Sasuke has apparently just graduated from the Academy and the council won't get off my back about having you teach him. They hope since you possess the Sharingan you can help him unlock his and make him a powerful asset to the village."

"Apologies Hokage-sama but I don't see how this should change my opinion on the matter."

"Yes, well you will also be teaching one Haruno Sakura. She's a Kunoichi who has no apparent shinobi background nor does her clan. She will be on your team as a sort of balance." The Hokage said as he tried to build the suspense by deliberately not answering the question, much to Kakashi's annoyance.

"Balance? Why exactly is she needed as a balance Hokage-sama?" Kakashi stated impatiently. He was getting tired of the old man's theatrical side for one day even if he is the third Hokage.

"Because the last student you will be teaching, who I meant will be of great interest to you, is none other then Uzumaki Naruto." The Hokage waited for Kakashi to put everything together.

"Who?" Kakashi asked simply.

Sarutobi then sweat dropped. The man may be a Jonin but he swears he's as dense as Naruto sometimes. Yup, they will definitely get along very well.

"Oh yes, you weren't told were you? I had hoped that even though you were not informed that you would eventually figure it out yourself but it seems your time has been more preoccupied to think on such matters. Would it help if I referred to him as Namikaze Naruto?"

Kakashi's only visible eye widened in disbelief at that. Forgetting all formality he grabbed the Hokage's formal robes and pulled him close. So close he could almost feel Kakashi's breath through his mask. "Sensei had a son? Why was I not told? Who raised him?"

Kakashi was visibly shaking at this point and luckily Sarutobi had noticed just before reprimanding Kakashi's impulsive actions. He simply removed Kakashi's hands from his robes and calmly stated, "As I said before, I had hoped you would have figured it out on his own seeing as he is the famous Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. His name must not have slipped by you so easily. I figured by giving him the name Uzumaki he would be protected from all of Minato's enemies. I figured you of all people who knew Kushina would put the two together and figure it out. As for who raised him Naruto stayed in an orphanage until he was nine. He was then kicked out and I gave him a small apartment to live in by himself with a monthly allowance from the joint accounts from the now extinct Namikaze and Uzumaki clans. He is the heir to both and rightfully deserves their assets, unfortunately the only assets they have left are their accounts."

"So I am to teach the last Uchiha AND sensei's son? By the Gods there's no way they won't pass the test. Two genius's on the same team?" Kakashi was now looking to the side with his hand to his chin apparently deep in thought. He would seen realize that him saying he had two genius's on his team would be a small overstatement.

- Flashback Ends -

Kakashi was brought from his thoughts when he saw Naruto stand up and start waving his hands in the air as his two teammates watched. Using his finely tuned hearing he listened to what it was he was going on about.

"Seriously its been almost two hours since everyone left. Where the hell is he? What kind of Jonin is he if he's this late?" Naruto ranted.

"Naruto I know what you mean but we just have to be patient." Sakura said in an attempt to make Naruto shut up even as she herself thought,_ "Yea where the hell is he?"_

Kakashi had to suppress a laugh when he noticed Naruto placing the chalk board eraser on top of the door frame. No doubt it was meant to hit him as he walked in. Well maybe he would just have to have a little fun with him. Seeing the opened window and Naruto as he waited by the door he instantly knew how to set him straight.

Kakashi listened as Naruto stood by Iruka's desk and muttered to himself, "Hah, he's going to walk through that door and bam, he won't even know what hit him."

Kakashi instantly shunshined beside Naruto as he nonchalantly said, "Yea that'll teach him to be late."

"Yup, that's what he gets for…" Naruto paused at the voice. It was definitely male but it didn't sound like Sasuke. That could only mean one thing. Turning to the side he looked straight into the masked face of Kakashi just as Sakura gasped at his quick entrance. Naruto jumped away instantly after Kakashi had apparently scared the hell out of him. Unfortunately he jumped back into the door frame, consequently jarring said frame, and knocking Naruto's trap right onto his own head.

"You really shouldn't underestimate another shinobi, it could get you killed." Kakashi stated calmly before he looked to Sasuke and Sakura and said, "All three of you meet me on the roof."

* * *

All three Genin sat on the roof quietly and waited for Kakashi to finally speak. When he did all he said was, "Ok, we'll start with some introductions. State your name, your likes, dislikes, and goals."

"What do you mean Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Your supposed to be the smart one? Ok well I guess I'll give an example I guess. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes are… not your business and my goal's? Well, I don't really have any. Ok blondie, your next."

At this all three sweat dropped and thought, _"All we learned was his name!"_

Naruto perked up first when Kakashi told him to go first and immediately said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and training. My dislikes are people who hate you for no reason and the time it takes to cook ramen. My goal is to become the next Hokage, then everyone will have to acknowledge me and respect me."

"_He's just like his father, although he definitely has Kushina's personality."_ Kakashi thought to himself before telling Sakura to continue.

Kakashi listened half-heartedly to Sakura and Sasuke introduce themselves but raised a brow when he heard Sasuke state that his 'ambition' was to kill a certain man. He surmised that he must have been talking about Itachi then pushed it to the back of his mind. When they were all finished he said, "Ok, now that were all familiar with each other meet me at training ground 7 tomorrow for your test."

"Test? What test Kakashi-sensei? We already passed the Genin Exam." Sakura said confused.

"That was just a formality to weed out those who didn't even stand a chance to become a real Genin. The real Genin test is tomorrow and it has a 66% failure rate. Oh and don't eat tomorrow, you'll just throw up."

All three Genin then gulped when they heard the failure rate. As Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke Sakura and Naruto were still sitting there with shock evident on their faces. Sasuke however had the presence of mind to cover his shock and push it to the back of his mind as he thought, _"I have to pass this test no matter what. Then I'll be one step closer to killing him. Mark my words I will avenge my clan!"_

* * *

**Ok, I know what your thinking. Your thinking "Dammit, not another filler chapter! Get to the good stuff already." Don't worry, this should be the last filler chapter. I know I said I was going to do the bell test in this chapter but as I started to write it kind of took on a life of its own, especially the scene with Kakashi and the Hokage. Next chapter I promise will have the bell test and the start of the land of waves arc. Also, sorry for the length of this chapter. Being a fluff chappie it doesn't have a lot of volume. Once I get to the good stuff in next chapter they will get longer I promise. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyways though. R & R PLZ!**


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